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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24504862">Return, Continue</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/pickledragon/pseuds/pickledragon'>pickledragon</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Voltron: Legendary Defender</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>-smash announcer voice- everyone is here! and they all get dorky lines, Beaches, Cooking, Established Relationship, Fluff, Lance (Voltron) Character Study, M/M, One Shot, Post-Season/Series 07, Team as Family</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 06:21:31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,512</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24504862</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/pickledragon/pseuds/pickledragon</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The Red Lion touches down on Veradera Beach and Lance swears he can smell the ocean already.</p><p>A homecoming for Lance is an opportunity to take the team with him: families stick together.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Keith &amp; Lance (Voltron), Keith/Lance (Voltron), Lance &amp; Voltron Paladins</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>85</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Return, Continue</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Missyomite/gifts">Missyomite</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Inspired by <a href="https://songsnstars.tumblr.com/post/175119075837/some-lance-headcanons-p1%5D">missyomite's headcanons</a></p><p>author's note: apologies for any spanish mess-ups, i'm not overly familiar with cuban spanish U-U. as of this fic, i've only finished season 7 so no spoilers pls! i'd like to suffer with fresh eyes &lt;3</p><p>all that said, please enjoy!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It’s been an eternity since Lance has been back to Cuba: even when they were living under Sendak’s occupation, they were all stuffed inside the Garrison, cramped and anxious and trying to conjure a future and optimism from where none existed. </p><p>But this, Lance’s home? He can’t help but think even if the planet was still under Galra control, this place would remain untouched. Learning to swim, counting stars in the sky until his mom woke him up to head to bed, chasing his siblings across the sand until he tackled them into the water: this was everything that made the earth worth protecting and worth coming back to.</p><p>The Red Lion touches down on the beach and Lance swears he can smell the ocean already.</p><p>“Well team, we’re finally home.” He pulls off his helmet and places his feet gingerly on the dash. As long as he's polite about it, Red wouldn’t eject him from the cockpit. This time.</p><p>“You mean <i>your</i> home,” Pidge teases, but there’s no bite. She knows what he’s saying: Cuba is his ground zero as much as the Garrison is hers, love and familiarity contained in a place and the people in it. Lance winks in response.</p><p>They’re all stuffed into the cockpit and hold of the Red Lion, their own on an orbit around earth in case of attack, just in case. Today is rare for all of them: no international meeting to attend, no recovery effort needing a large feline to transport supplies, no tests requested by Holt. It’s theirs to do what they want, and what Lance wants is to take his friends, his second family to where it all began: a cheap telescope on an unstable crag, looking up to the stars.</p><p>He pulls himself out of his chair and places his armor underneath the console, trades his breastplate for his loose fitting jacket. “I can’t wait to show you guys all my old haunts, the weather is perfect for a swim! Though…” Lance’s face turns pensive, “That’s assuming we can escape nibling-sitting duty. I think they’re going to get me on a technicality: three years of spending Saturdays in space will do that to you.”</p><p>Hunk snorts. “They can’t be that bad! I sent them my donuts in the mail all the time, no one can resist a good pastry.”</p><p>“…Hunk I can’t believe you’re going to be my secret weapon. We should have run away from the garrison <i>ages</i> ago!” In the corner, Keith unsuccessfully tries to suppress his smile and Lance blows him a kiss. His boyfriend is absolute shit at keeping a straight face.</p><p>Pidge extracts herself and Coran from their positions near the hatch. “Shiro, Allura—” she shouts through the door to the cargo hold, “We’re here! You guys can come out now.” She opens the door and sees them still hunched over their card game, a random box left behind in one of the supply runs as their table.</p><p>Allura waves her hand perfunctorily in their direction. “Mmmm. Just a tick, I’m almost about to beat Shiro at Rummy.”</p><p>“In your dreams, Princess,” Shiro responds. While normally on good terms, it had only taken a week after the Castle of Lions took off to realize that they both had a competitive streak a mile wide, in games at least. Seeing an Altean gameboard or a beat-up deck of cards emerge at the dinner table was a sure way to know that all paladins in the vicinity should flee as soon as humanly possible.</p><p>Lance shrugs. One of them will win eventually, and he’ll give the loser some consolation garlic knots. “Suit yourselves! Everyone else, let’s roll out. Meet us at the house, and don’t make Red grumpy.” The lion beneath them seems to chuff in agreement, and Shiro and Allura catch their cards before they can float off the table.</p><p>They hop out of Red and she rests her jaw on the beach. Lance gives it a pat: she’s been doing as much work as any of them these past few months of rebuilding. Maybe this'll be relaxing for her as well.<br/>
 <br/>
As the rest of the team shuffles off the ship, blinking in the sunlight, Lance faces the ocean, feet on the sand. He feels grounded, like any point where his body connects with the land is a open connection, even though Hunk's the one with the Earth-adjacent lion. He takes a deep breath. In. Out. </p><p>When asked to describe his home, Lance has always struggled with finding the words for a place so different from the temperate and dry Garrison, mountains appearing like unfortunate spikes on the horizon. The very composition of the air is different here, an intoxicating mix of salt and wet that feels fresh, thick and textured. Lance can smell the light scent of flowers blooming not a half mile away, can hear people laughing a fair distance down the beach, not even a glance his lion. He can see the sun shining off the ocean, cloudy enough that it's not blinding but bright enough that he's a little warm in his usual ensemble.</p><p>A breeze plays with the tips of his hair and he lets out a laugh, unintentional but no less true. This was what no words could describe: the feeling of belonging. </p><p>Keith's hand is on his shoulder as Pidge and Coran start flicking water at each other, quick to get in the waves. "Only been here five minutes and you already look happier than when Allura told us the  castle had non-military grade toilets."</p><p>"Oh shut up." Lance playfully swats at Keith, who doesn't budge at all, spoilsport. "I'm just—" He glances back at red, where a bleary Shiro and Allura have emerged just to get pelted with sand. "I'm happy to be back home."</p><p>Keith musses his hair, and Lance leans away, trying to preserve his carefully crafted 'do. "Aw, come on Keith!"</p><p>He shrugs. "I'm messing with you. It's nice, seeing you relaxed. Seeing you happy." </p><p>Lance smiles. </p><p>Their house is off the beaten path, right on Veradera beach, so it was spared most of the destruction that had impacted the major cities. The McClains run a pizza business closer to town, but home has always been for the family: running in and out at all hours, filling the hallways with laughter and love. Before he can even knock on the door it's flung open and he's enveloped in a hug. </p><p>"Ay, mi cielo, you made it!" his mom says, muffled by the fact that her face is buried in his shoulder. "We've missed you so much, I think the boys have watched that new show more times than I can count, and screaming every time you're onscreen." She mock-shivers at the horror of it all. "Still causes less noise than the genuine article."</p><p><a id="back1" name="back1"></a> Lance laughs as she pulls back and examines him like a surfer looking at that afternoon's ocean. "You look wonderful, mijo. Pero el gao es un disastre<a href="#note1"><sup>1</sup></a> , I wish you'd given us a notice before this morning, we could have had a celebration! God knows we need it."</p><p>"No need mom, it's just us!" He gestures to the rest of the team, quietly waiting (and snickering) behind him. He sticks his tongue out at Pidge, the primary culprit, who responds in childish kind.  </p><p>His mom's eyes shine at all of the guests, and she quickly shoves them all into the living room to throw food at them, like any good mother who even happens to bake must do. When she and Hunk's mom met up after they freed the Earth, they almost filled the Atlas with all of the baked goods that were produced. </p><p>"Now Marco and Rachel won't be back until dinner tonight, but they send their love," his mom informs him in-between tossing dough in the air. "Nadia and Silvio are biking back from town right now, they're so eager to see you!"</p><p>"I missed them," Lances says with a smile. "I missed all of you."</p><p>Keith squeezes his hand before chomping down on another garlic knot. </p><p>Luis and Lisa bust in the door with fanfare, and the niblings immediately throw themselves onto each paladin in turn. Starting with Lance, of course. </p><p>"Uncle Lance, Uncle Lance!"</p><p>He squeezes them like he'll never see them again, and turns the hug into a capture, lifting them up into the air as they giggle and scream. "Hope you two have been good for your mom and dad, or I'll have to feed you to the lions."</p><p>"Oh please do," Lisa says deadpan. "If I have to hear the 'Voltron: Amazing Protectors' theme song one more time I will probably lose my mind." She gives Lance a quick squeeze, careful to include her kids, although her arms won't reach all the way around. "It's so good to see you." </p><p>"Why do they get all the hugs?" Luis exclaims, coming from behind and stealing his kids out of Lance's arms. He then proceeds to tickle them and set them back down. "Lance, ¿Qué bolá? How goes defending the planet?"</p><p>"Hard, rewarding, exhausting. Great workplace benefits though," Lance says, pulling two small black cubes out of his pocket. "Coran had some extras, and lost the coin flip on who would give them to you guys."</p><p>His niblings squeal as they grab the boxes and run to the living room. Luis sighs. "I hate you Lance, but it sure is great to have you home. And to see your friends again!" Said friends look up from their duties (they'd been roped into cooking duties, another secret power of his mom's, aside from amazing game show predictions and being a kickass mom) to smile in return. </p><p><a id="back2" name="back2"></a> He leans over in a stage whisper, well aware everyone can understand what he's saying. "Especialmente tu cere allí—pelo negro, nariz como ratoncito. Qué partido, ¿eh?<a href="#note2"><sup>2</sup></a>" he grins and Lance shoves him playfully back. </p><p>"He's my boyfriend, shut up or you'll scare him away," he half jokes. </p><p>Keith raises an eyebrow. "If I was going to leave, I would have done it when we had to shamble up a transport tube in swim trunks. You're stuck with me for the long haul."</p><p>They go on like that for a while, passing banter around the kitchen and living room, before it's time for the cooking to get serious, by the look in his mom's eyes. Having a solid record of setting hot dogs on fire, Lance grabs Keith's hand and escapes into the hallway. </p><p>He opens the door to his bedroom, and its just as he left it, give or take some reorganization of the video games by his niblings. The same sky blue curtains, constellations carefully plotted out in stick-on stars, jar of chewed pencils on the desk next to his letter of acceptance to the Galactic Garrison, framed. </p><p>Keith makes a beeline to the bed and hops on it, testing the buoyancy. "I like the shark sheets," he says sincerely. "Almost as cute as the stuffed ones you had at the Garrison."</p><p>Lance sits down beside him, flopping backwards onto the bed. The room is smaller than he remembers, but still fits like a glove. "I swear I would have gotten caught a thousand times over if it weren't for Hunk's equal love of smuggling baking ingredients into the dorms. Really took the heat off." He winks. </p><p>A beat. </p><p>"You know, because he did't have a stove or anything—" Keith kisses him, romantic and sweet and far too quick for Lance's liking. </p><p>"Lance, I got the joke. You're a dork."</p><p>"Yeah, I know." He sighs and tugs Keith down so he's also lying on the bed, staring at his childhood approximation of stars that he flies through every day now. Lance traces their outlines in the air. "The first few months with you guys, I was really homesick."</p><p>Keith nods. "I remember. We all were, even used up the castle's stock of tissues. Not that we would have admitted it to Allura. It got better over time."</p><p>"I'm not sure about that. I don't think it went away, just... morphed. Into one of those aches that you notice every morning until you get up and then it's right back when you go to sleep at night." He rolls over to face Keith, who's adorable with his hair pressed against the mattress and into his face. </p><p>"We don't have time now, we spent so much time catching up with my family—which is really important, don't get me wrong!" he adds at the strange look on Keith's face. "I just really wanted to take you guys out to this cove I used to visit, when things got too much. My old telescope is probably still there, i put a tarp over it before I left, it's a hardy piece of junk. Maybe—"</p><p>"Lance," he stops him, as gently as he can. "What's this all about?</p><p>Lance sighs. Transparent as always, at least to him. It's usually comforting, but right now its grating. "Are we doing the right thing, by going back out there?"</p><p>"Absolutely." His answer is immediate. "There are so many lives to be saved, wrongs to make right. We can change that, by heading out, one last time."</p><p>He groans. "I thought you'd say that. But what if we don't come back? What if another Lotor, or Zarkon, or fucking Sendak happens?"</p><p>"And so what?" Keith counters. "We defeated them, we can defeat any others." He exhales. "Saying goodbye for now doesn't mean forever."</p><p>"Keith, being optimistic? Pinch me now," Lance rolls his eyes. </p><p>Keith doesn't rise to the bait, and moves closer to him. "You've been a good influence." Lance sighs and releases the tension he's been holding and Keith leans into him. "Thanks for bringing us here, Lance. You didn't have to, but you did."</p><p>"You guys are my other family, why wouldn't I?"</p><p>Keith hunches into himself. "Sometimes... places are like holy ground. To guard, to protect. My dad's place, my room back in the castle."</p><p>"Not really for me? This is where I grew up, where I started becoming the Lance I am today. It's my starting pointc and it's my endpoint and everything inbetween. Having you guys here feels right."</p><p>He opens his mouth to respond when a sharp on the wall announces their time is up. </p><p>"Lance, Keith, time for dinner!" comes his mother's voice. He moves to lift himself into a sitting position, but his boyfriend stops him with a hand.  </p><p>"Enjoy home while you're here. We'll be back, after this is all done. I promise."</p><p>Lance closes his eyes and in the darkness, preserves the promise. "I'll hold you to it." </p><p>He pulls himself off the bed and offers Keith a hand. "And Keith?"</p><p>"Yeah?" He grabs the offered hand and Lance pulls him up in one smooth motion, right into a hug. </p><p>"You all are my home too."</p><p> </p><p>-----</p>
<ol>
<li>
<a id="note1" name="note1"></a> But the house is a disaster <sup><a href="#back1"> [ ▲ ]</a></sup>
</li>

<li>
<a id="note2" name="note2"></a> 'Specially your friend there—black hair, nose like a mouse. Nice catch, huh? <sup><a href="#back2"> [ ▲ ]</a></sup>
</li>
</ol>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thanks for reading! Comments make my life.<br/>Find me at learningthomas.tumblr.com or instagram.com/_pickle_dragon</p></blockquote></div></div>
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